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Berklee College of Music
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Hi All I have been playing jazz for many years. Completely self taught. I have always found the need to take formal training. I found a couple of instructors and for some reason or other it didnt work out. I am thinking seriously about taking the Jazz Certification course in Berklee College (its an online course). It seems to be rigorous enough that I would be exposed to chords and scales in a rigoroous manner. My goal is to understand chords and scales completely and I think that will close most of the gaps in my knowledge and allow me to expand (hopefully) into Jazz much more creatively (am stuck in some ruts right now). Any advise from the members will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. ? |
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What about finding a teacher you can study with
over Skype or similar technology? Anything about jazz harmony, scale choice etc. is probably already out there in book form! I'm not familiar with the Berklee distance ed. program, but I'm curious what you get for what is probably quite a big price tag. Are they critiquing the playing of individual students through submitted videos or something? I did take a couple courses through them maybe 6 years ago, one in audio mixing, the other in mastering. Both were great, but very expensive. At least in the production area, there are cheaper options now that give almost as much information from guys like Graham Cochrane's Recording Revolution, and Ian Shepherd's Production Advice (and his home mastering masterclass). Just about every big name guitarist is running some sort of online school it seems. At 03:10 PM 3/22/2017, you wrote:
Any advise from the members will be appreciated. ---------------------------------------- "There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer |
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Francis Harding
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi,
If you opt not to go the full Academic route let me suggest you check out:
Jimmy Bruno.....?jimmybruno.com
A unique teaching style....No frills..... his personality is a?developed taste....and worth developing.
He has a system that eliminates a lot of confusion surrounding Chords Arps. Scale fingerings and how to move "knowledgeably"?around the fret?board.
Price is very reasonable... learn at your own pace. Tons of "Stuff" on his site...?keep you busy for a long time.?
Take a look at some of his free lessons on youtube.?
Check out the "5 Shapes" ?vid ?these are NOT basic?CAGED fingerings.....they?seem very?simple but?DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the value of?his approach to nailing down the fret board.
AND....good luck
FCH
From: jazz_guitar@... on behalf of Arvind_h@... [jazz_guitar]
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 1:10 PM To: jazz_guitar@... Subject: [jazz_guitar] Berklee College of Music ?
?
Hi All
I have been playing jazz for many years. Completely self taught. I have always found the need to take formal training. I found a couple of instructors and for some reason or other it didnt work out. I am thinking seriously about taking the Jazz Certification course in Berklee College (its an online course). It seems to be rigorous enough that I would be exposed to chords and scales in a rigoroous manner. My goal is to understand chords and scales completely and I think that will close most of the gaps in my knowledge and allow me to expand (hopefully) into Jazz much more creatively (am stuck in some ruts right now).
Any advise from the members will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance. ? |
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Arvind,
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
I think it'd be useful to find out a couple of things: your age, your location, and why "it didn't work out" with instructors. I have reservations about online applied music courses, but I'll set them aside until I have some more information. As someone else said, the Berklee brand is quite good, but it's expensive, too, and if you have certain expectations or "prejudices" about how a course of study should go, that make things not to "work out" w/ Berklee as well. Sometimes the most difficult part of being a student is listening to the instructor(s), and just doing what the teacher asks & requires. The teacher/student relationship is not a peer relationship (at least at first), and that lack of awareness holds many students back. Unless your teachers were completely incompetent you should've been able to glean something of value?from interacting with them.
It'd also be useful to find out if you play out (professionally, at church, etc) or what your playing experience is, why you want to be a "jazz guitarist", and how "many years" you've been playing guitar. Chords and scales are important, but there's much more to jazz guitar (as I'd guess you know). Anyway, if you'd be willing to share some information I'd be better able to give you some suggestions and/or advice. Just because it's Berklee (or anywhere else) doesn't mean you can necessarily sign up for a course or courses & magically come out the other end as a "jazz guitarist"...
FWIW, I've been playing guitar & jazz guitar professionally for almost 40 years & I've taught guitar & jazz guitar for many years. I"ve taught guitar at the college/university level and encountered many different students. Like you I was "self-taught" until I went to college, where I studied with Jimmy Wyble. I think I can give you some recommendations that might help if I know you a little better.
You can message me off-list if you prefer.
Cheers,
JV
Juan Vega
-----Original Message----- From: Arvind_h@... [jazz_guitar] To: jazz_guitar <jazz_guitar@...> Sent: Wed, Mar 22, 2017 12:10 pm Subject: [jazz_guitar] Berklee College of Music
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Hi All
I have been playing jazz for many years. Completely self taught. I have always found the need to take formal training. I found a couple of instructors and for some reason or other it didnt work out. I am thinking seriously about taking the Jazz Certification course in Berklee College (its an online course). It seems to be rigorous enough that I would be exposed to chords and scales in a rigoroous manner. My goal is to understand chords and scales completely and I think that will close most of the gaps in my knowledge and allow me to expand (hopefully) into Jazz much more creatively (am stuck in some ruts right now).
Any advise from the members will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
?
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Dear Juan
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Thanks SO MUCH for the detailed reply. You have asked the right questions and I have all the answers. I would love to talk with you. I will send you my phone number via personal email and would love to talk to you at a time that is convenient for you. Is that ok? Regards ---In jazz_guitar@..., <JVegaTrio@...> wrote : Arvind, I think it'd be useful to find out a couple of things: your age, your location, and why "it didn't work out" with instructors. I have reservations about online applied music courses, but I'll set them aside until I have some more information. As someone else said, the Berklee brand is quite good, but it's expensive, too, and if you have certain expectations or "prejudices" about how a course of study should go, that make things not to "work out" w/ Berklee as well. Sometimes the most difficult part of being a student is listening to the instructor(s), and just doing what the teacher asks & requires. The teacher/student relationship is not a peer relationship (at least at first), and that lack of awareness holds many students back. Unless your teachers were completely incompetent you should've been able to glean something of value?from interacting with them. It'd also be useful to find out if you play out (professionally, at church, etc) or what your playing experience is, why you want to be a "jazz guitarist", and how "many years" you've been playing guitar. Chords and scales are important, but there's much more to jazz guitar (as I'd guess you know). Anyway, if you'd be willing to share some information I'd be better able to give you some suggestions and/or advice. Just because it's Berklee (or anywhere else) doesn't mean you can necessarily sign up for a course or courses & magically come out the other end as a "jazz guitarist"... FWIW, I've been playing guitar & jazz guitar professionally for almost 40 years & I've taught guitar & jazz guitar for many years. I"ve taught guitar at the college/university level and encountered many different students. Like you I was "self-taught" until I went to college, where I studied with Jimmy Wyble. I think I can give you some recommendations that might help if I know you a little better. You can message me off-list if you prefer. Cheers, JV Juan Vega -----Original Message----- From: Arvind_h@... [jazz_guitar] <jazz_guitar@...> To: jazz_guitar <jazz_guitar@...> Sent: Wed, Mar 22, 2017 12:10 pm Subject: [jazz_guitar] Berklee College of Music
? Hi All I have been playing jazz for many years. Completely self taught. I have always found the need to take formal training. I found a couple of instructors and for some reason or other it didnt work out. I am thinking seriously about taking the Jazz Certification course in Berklee College (its an online course). It seems to be rigorous enough that I would be exposed to chords and scales in a rigoroous manner. My goal is to understand chords and scales completely and I think that will close most of the gaps in my knowledge and allow me to expand (hopefully) into Jazz much more creatively (am stuck in some ruts right now). Any advise from the members will be appreciated. Thanks in advance. ? |
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¿ªÔÆÌåÓýSo¡ I¡¯ve been a lurker here for well over a decade. I¡¯ve just recently sort-of retired and I¡¯m going to try some of the Berklee online courses. I¡¯ve been playing many decades, and ironically, I lived in the Boston area until last June (just moved to California desert). I counted several Berklee grads (and dropouts) as well as a few profs there among my music friends and have had Berklee-related mentors for a long time. Although I learned an immense amount from them, it¡¯s also true that everyone has their own system or world view that they promote whether unconsciously or not. I¡¯ve played a fair amount (for a non-pro) in restaurants and such off and on, but usually as a duo with another guitar or a bass. Recently, I decided I really wanted to pursue solo playing and maybe some composition, and realized that there¡¯s a whole lot of stuff that I know casually but not really as in depth as I¡¯d like. (How many books on jazz harmony can you read?). One of the problems with solo, from what I can tell, is that it can get pretty repetitive in a hurry, so you need a lot of arranging ideas and styles to keep it fresh (that¡¯s what I like as a listener). So the Berklee thing seems like it would be appropriate for me, and while it may not have much intrinsic value, I also have to think that it¡¯s likely fulfilling for me who has long treated this as more of a hobby and a bastard child instead of the passion that it is. Happy to let you know how it goes. ? On a related note, I have to comment on the fact that around here, many solo players use backing tracks which just seems like ¡°cheating¡± to me. I understand the economics and the logistics of fitting into tight spaces, but on the other hand, it¡¯s like watching someone just shedding with Band In A Box. Sheesh! ? Jim ? ? ? |
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Jim,
?
I've been working with tracks (with a sax player) for many years, and it's not "shedding with BIAB", it's trying to make a living. I've also recorded an EP uswing a combination of tracks & live that's gotten high praise from professional musicians whose judgment I respect. You could make the same statement about DJs, too.
?
Venue owners don't want to pay for the "real thing" but audiences (especially when you're playing in venues where people are eating & the music is more peripheral) don't want something like solo playing (which I've done a tone of, too), so you leverage technology to make it work.
?
Part of the reason this situation exists in the first place is there are a lot of "non pros" who take gigs from the people who are trying to make a living full-time, and in so doing they keep wages flat for the pros because they're willing to work for free/tips/food/drinks/the "boner" of playing in front of people/etc.
?
If a venue owner know s/he can hire a "hobbyist" player (many who actually play quite well) for 1/4 the price of a pro, that's pretty much a no-brainer; after all, they're in it to make money, not to support the arts. I have a jazz quintet I've composed & arranged a whole book for, & we haven't played in over a year; there aren't many jazz venues here in L.A. (although it's picking up a bit), and my guys, all of whom are working pros, can't come out for $50 or $75 a man on a jazz gig. On the other hand, I know a trumpet player who is quite good (and has a full-time "day gig"?optometry business) who plays in the same venues I do quite a bit; want to guess who's charging less???
?
Far as solo jazz guitar goes, creativity is important, but what I feel is most important in playing solo jazz is good time, and the ability to move smoothly through the song; there's nothing worse than listening to someone who's "piecing" stuff together in a way that's stiff, awkward, and doesn't groove. Pretty painful, really.
?
Not sure any course can teach that; probably a good teacher, listening a lot, and shedding like a mother**ker is the better way to go. It also helps to have a good knowledge of harmony so you can arrange the solo pieces in a way that makes sense, but again, good feel almost always trumps.
?
Good luck.
?
Cheers,
JV
?
Juan Vega
?
?
? -----Original Message----- From: 'Jim Kangas' kangas@... [jazz_guitar] To: jazz_guitar Sent: Thu, Mar 23, 2017 9:13 pm Subject: [jazz_guitar] Re: Berklee College of Music
?
So¡ I¡¯ve been a lurker here for well over a decade. I¡¯ve just recently sort-of retired and I¡¯m going to try some of the Berklee online courses. I¡¯ve been playing many decades, and ironically, I lived in the Boston area until last June (just moved to California desert). I counted several Berklee grads (and dropouts) as well as a few profs there among my music friends and have had Berklee-related mentors for a long time. Although I learned an immense amount from them, it¡¯s also true that everyone has their own system or world view that they promote whether unconsciously or not. I¡¯ve played a fair amount (for a non-pro) in restaurants and such off and on, but usually as a duo with another guitar or a bass. Recently, I decided I really wanted to pursue solo playing and maybe some composition, and realized that there¡¯s a whole lot of stuff that I know casually but not really as
in depth as I¡¯d like. (How many books on jazz harmony can you read?). One of the problems with solo, from what I can tell, is that it can get pretty repetitive in a hurry, so you need a lot of arranging ideas and styles to keep it fresh (that¡¯s what I like as a listener). So the Berklee thing seems like it would be appropriate for me, and while it may not have much intrinsic value, I also have to think that it¡¯s likely fulfilling for me who has long treated this as more of a hobby and a bastard child instead of the passion that it is. Happy to let you know how it goes.
?
On a related note, I have to comment on the fact that around here, many solo players use backing tracks which just seems like ¡°cheating¡± to me. I understand the economics and the logistics of fitting into tight spaces, but on the other hand, it¡¯s like watching someone just shedding with Band In A Box. Shees
h!
?
Jim
?
?
?
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Tom Samarati
Regarding low to no payment for casual gigs I tell this true story to anyone who will listen... "I played my first paying as a teenager in 1965. ?I was a member of the musician's union. Gig paid $50 for three hours. ?I played my final paying gig in 2006, 3 hours that paid $50." ?The cost of living here in the USA has increased more than 10 times since 1965, musicians wages have not increased one cent.? ______________________________ Tom Samarati - Italian by design. From: "'J. Vega' JVegaTrio@... [jazz_guitar]" To: jazz_guitar@... Sent: Friday, March 24, 2017 10:17 AM Subject: Re: [jazz_guitar] Re: Berklee College of Music
?
Jim,
?
I've been working with tracks (with a sax player) for many years, and it's not "shedding with BIAB", it's trying to make a living. I've also recorded an EP uswing a combination of tracks & live that's gotten high praise from professional musicians whose judgment I respect. You could make the same statement about DJs, too.
?
Venue owners don't want to pay for the "real thing" but audiences (especially when you're playing in venues where people are eating & the music is more peripheral) don't want something like solo playing (which I've done a tone of, too), so you leverage technology to make it work.
?
Part of the reason this situation exists in the first place is there are a lot of "non pros" who take gigs from the people who are trying to make a living full-time, and in so doing they keep wages flat for the pros because they're willing to work for free/tips/food/drinks/the "boner" of playing in front of people/etc.
?
If a venue owner know s/he can hire a "hobbyist" player (many who actually play quite well) for 1/4 the price of a pro, that's pretty much a no-brainer; after all, they're in it to make money, not to support the arts. I have a jazz quintet I've composed & arranged a whole book for, & we haven't played in over a year; there aren't many jazz venues here in L.A. (although it's picking up a bit), and my guys, all of whom are working pros, can't come out for $50 or $75 a man on a jazz gig. On the other hand, I know a trumpet player who is quite good (and has a full-time "day gig"?optometry business) who plays in the same venues I do quite a bit; want to guess who's charging less???
?
Far as solo jazz guitar goes, creativity is important, but what I feel is most important in playing solo jazz is good time, and the ability to move smoothly through the song; there's nothing worse than listening to someone who's "piecing" stuff together in a way that's stiff, awkward, and doesn't groove. Pretty painful, really.
?
Not sure any course can teach that; probably a good teacher, listening a lot, and shedding like a mother**ker is the better way to go. It also helps to have a good knowledge of harmony so you can arrange the solo pieces in a way that makes sense, but again, good feel almost always trumps.
?
Good luck.
?
Cheers,
JV
?
Juan Vega
?
?
?
-----Original Message-----
From: 'Jim Kangas' kangas@... [jazz_guitar] To: jazz_guitar Sent: Thu, Mar 23, 2017 9:13 pm Subject: [jazz_guitar] Re: Berklee College of Music
?
So¡ I¡¯ve been a lurker here for well over a decade. I¡¯ve just recently sort-of retired and I¡¯m going to try some of the Berklee online courses. I¡¯ve been playing many decades, and ironically, I lived in the Boston area until last June (just moved to California desert). I counted several Berklee grads (and dropouts) as well as a few profs there among my music friends and have had Berklee-related mentors for a long time. Although I learned an immense amount from them, it¡¯s also true that everyone has their own system or world view that they promote whether unconsciously or not. I¡¯ve played a fair amount (for a non-pro) in restaurants and such off and on, but usually as a duo with another guitar or a bass. Recently, I decided I really wanted to pursue solo playing and maybe some composition, and realized that there¡¯s a whole lot of stuff that I know casually but not really as
in depth as I¡¯d like. (How many books on jazz harmony can you read?). One of the problems with solo, from what I can tell, is that it can get pretty repetitive in a hurry, so you need a lot of arranging ideas and styles to keep it fresh (that¡¯s what I like as a listener). So the Berklee thing seems like it would be appropriate for me, and while it may not have much intrinsic value, I also have to think that it¡¯s likely fulfilling for me who has long treated this as more of a hobby and a bastard child instead of the passion that it is. Happy to let you know how it goes.
?
On a related note, I have to comment on the fact that around here, many solo players use backing tracks which just seems like ¡°cheating¡± to me. I understand the economics and the logistics of fitting into tight spaces, but on the other hand, it¡¯s like watching someone just shedding with Band In A Box. Shees
h!
?
Jim
?
?
?
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On 3/24/2017 4:08 PM, Tom Samarati samarati@... [jazz_guitar] wrote:
"I played my first paying as a teenager in 1965. I was a member of the musician's union. Gig paid $50 for three hours. I played my final paying gig in 2006, 3 hours that paid $50." The cost of living here in the USA has increased more than 10 times since 1965, musicians wages have not increased one cent.Exactly, And the reason is NOT because clubs refused to pay more or because clubs 'set the pay rate', as so many pseudo-pro musicians assert. It's because clubs fully know that musicians, being their own worst enemies and all thinking they're going to be the next Beatles and receive the next 'Standard Rich & Famous' contract I suppose, NEVER take the time to learn the business of music, and NEVER have the balls to actually charge for a gig properly. In your early Union days, that would be punishable by the musician being fined for undercharging against fellow musicians. Nowadays musicians are content to just piss & moan to fellow musicians and girlfriends about somehow being misunderstood or underappreciated. Every single problem musicians face, whether live or recorded, songwriter or sideman, YouTube or Facebook, &c, goes back to those facts. Musicians have no negotiating power because they chose ignorance over knowledge, and pissed it all away. |
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¿ªÔÆÌåÓýGood points all. ? I didn¡¯t mean to pour alcohol on the open wound of the pathetic wages that seem to prevail. I still just feel the backing tracks are¡ odd. ? Thanks for the feedback. ? ? Jim ? |
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Bobby, Amen on all points. ?One thing that is missed is that the market is over-saturated with musicians looking for work. ?Add to that many of them are wannabees on every level. ? I worked all I wanted years ago. I was booked up so far when I got new job offers I had to use my friends as substitutes. ?From that I started charging 15% for finding them work. ?I got so busy with that around Cincinnati that I wound up booking rock acts all the way down to Florida from my hometown in Cincinnati, OH. The other thing that gets over-looked is musicians are ruthless. ?If you open a new gig even your friends are down to the club trying to under bid you on the gig. Another pet peeve of mine is that musicians are categorically amateurish in their approach to doing professional gigs. ?The first mistake for them is to talk to the club owner about how good their band is and nothing about where they've worked or what success they've had. ?Somewhere along the line they'll make promises that they can't keep. If a club owner has been in business for more than a year he can smell amateurs from a mile away. ?They go in to get a gig and quickly adjust to just begging for work. ? All of us have had to start somewhere and I did my share of coffee shops in my early days but on those gigs I tried to conduct myself professionally, perform well and dress in a manner that said I deserved to be moving up. Either on that gig or somewhere else. I've said this before but one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was a friend of mine told me that the difference between getting paid $30.00 on a gig and getting a $150.00 was a $90.00 suit. ?In some cases you can easily be over-dressed but you need to make sure you are at least dressed a notch above what passes for acceptable on your gig. As an example I probably wouldn't wear a tux in a coffee shop. ?That's so far beyond just a notch above what is acceptable that you just look out of place. Dressing nice shows respect for the audience. They will immediately appreciate the extra effort you've made. ? If you can't get a gig with a reasonable price work on your sales ?approach and the quality of your performance but no matter what you do do not oversell yourself. ?Don't promise to pack the place with your friends and family. ?If you get hired and don't live up to that promise you will be bad-mouthed by the club owner for the next two years to anyone who will listen.? Another good idea I used was to use a set list. Give everybody a copy so there is no discussion about what comes next. ?If you feel a need to change the order while performing do it quickly. ?Don't leave much space between songs and learn to play two or three songs in a row. ?If someone in your group has a technical problem onstage learn to talk to the audience. Yet another thing I used was I had interesting intros and endings. ?Material that would get the audiences attention. 6,2,5 to the key is not an intro. ?A gig is a performance not a jam session. I also had two versions of my band. ?One was a straight jazz group and the other was tailored to supper clubs and country clubs. ?at a country club gig we played a lot of the same material but with much less intense soloing. ?We used a singer on some gigs if required and none on others.? Get a website and some business cards. ?I had samples of what the band could do on our website. They were varied and short. ?Usually only the melody and the beginning of a solo and then drift out.? Get a permanent band or at least guys you play with consistently so your bands performance abilities will gel together. ?Throw together bands cannot compete with a real band. ? And last but not least is that if you fail once try, try, try again. ?Learn from your mistakes. Don't repeat them. ? Best Wishes in all that you do. ? ? ? ? ? Brian ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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¿ªÔÆÌåÓýOn 3/25/2017 1:13 AM, 'Jim Kangas'
kangas@... [jazz_guitar] wrote:
You didn't pour alcohol into any wounds. You brought out a valid point that I've been wake up musicians to for years. Sal Galassi (the now deceased president of the local chapter of the Musicians' Union, called it the 'race to the bottom' for decades, and he was 100% correct. The backing tracks are... pathetic. best, Bobby
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Bob, I like the "race to the bottom" analogy. ?It's so true. ?Accept for a few exceptional cases we arrived at the bottom decades ago. The good old days will never return.? When I was growing up learning to become a decent person was stressed over everything else. ?Being honest, hardworking, level-headed and fair were more important than selfish?attempts?at self realization or developing your inner self. Becoming an artist was left to those that could actually achieve that status. ?Guys like Wes Montomery, Tal Farlow or Pat Martino were born to be accomplished artists and even they had to work hard at it. ?Today we probably have less fully realized artists and just more well trained guitarists. ?If you are not one of the artists you are probably not ever going to rise much above playing for tips. People are not going to pay for steak and accept a ham sandwich. ?Most gigs these days are filled with the performers friends and family. ?There's a reason for that. After my last comments I realized that Jimi Hendrix was a great example of someone who had interesting intros and endings. Trust me it helps. You have to get the audiences attention if you expect them to listen to yet another round of of On Green Dolphin Street. Thanks for your comments. ?I hope you are doing well Brian ? ? ?? ????
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Brian,
?
Totally agree, that's a great observation.
?
Cheers,
JV
?
Juan Vega
?
?
? -----Original Message-----
From: 'Brian Kelly' bkelly@... [jazz_guitar] To: Bob Hansmann bobbybmusic@... [jazz_guitar] Sent: Sun, Mar 26, 2017 8:51 am Subject: Re: [jazz_guitar] Re: Berklee College of Music "Today we probably have less fully realized artists and just more well trained guitarists. ?If you are not one of the artists you are probably not ever going to rise much above playing for tips." |
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¿ªÔÆÌåÓýOn 3/26/2017 11:51 AM, 'Brian Kelly'
bkelly@... [jazz_guitar] wrote:
Says it all. warm regards, Bobby
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Bobby, I knew you would agree. Brian
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Juan, I should say here one other thing that helped me over the years. ?As my hands deteriorated from a devastating case of tendinitis over the last 15 or so years of my career I got smarter and smarter as a band leader and instead of just organizing my group in the last 5 or six years I got heavily involved in the artistic direction of my band and dramatically raised the performance level of my group.? Over my entire career, despite being a leader, I have never attempted to carry a group primarily with my own musical skills. ?I've been a successful player since I was 14 but only one time in my performing life did I ever try to be the main attraction in any of the bands I played in or had on my own. ?I didn't like the experience of being the primary performer in the band. ?What happened was that I was between bands and I let another very good working group talk me into being my back-up band. ?They were good and the bass player was real good but I realized very quickly that I missed playing with the caliber of musicians I was use to playing with in more evenly split bands. ?After that I have always tried to perform with the best musicians I could get. ?In my last group someone once approached me during a gig and commented that I was obviously the leader of the band so she wanted ask me a few questions. ?I quickly told the lady that while I might be the leader I am not the star of the band. ?All the guys in the band were stars one their own.? Having strong players in my band kept the performance quality at a maximum and made us even more successful as we grew and grew as a group. ?? Not only did I have great players but I had the kind of guys who fit the bill and could play the music the way I wanted and still contribute on their own. The makeup of the personnel was so important to the outcome that once the bass player had to go into semi-retirement for personal reasons I knew I couldn't replace him and keep the performance level up though for a short time I tried. Imagine, being onstage performing and knowing that the performance quality had dropped down a level or two after we had been together for 5 or 6 years. That combined with my tendinitis was what finally put me in early retirement. ? All of this is the result of several experiences I had when I was young. ?All of my life I have been hooked on John Coltrane but even in my earliest days I realized that a large part of the magic he was able to create was due to the players he had in that band. It was the same with Jimi Hendrix. ?He had several bands over the years but none of them were quite as good as the one he had with the original players from the Jimi Hendrix experience. ?It was the same with Coltrane. ?The original quartet had a magic about them as a group. The later groups not so much. ?There is a lesson in that. After my hands started to deteriorate I was never able to rely on my own personal artistry to hold a group together so I worked on my musical concepts, vision and the environment I worked in. It worked. I should say here that it took me years to learn to lead a band. ?I had several misfires before I got the hang of it but I was always willing to lick my wounds and try again. The people I chose to use for my band were people I genuinely cared about as people and players. I wanted them to succeed and they knew it. ?I went to each of them early on and told them what I wanted to do and how I saw them fitting in. I told them if they felt like they wanted to be involved I'd love to have them. ?They agreed. ?When we became successful and actually made money that finally sealed the deal. ?I had the original drummer kind of go mutinous on me and after two years I replaced him with as good a drummer as I have ever played with and one far more in line with what I was doing. ?He had just moved to Nashville and was unknown to anybody really. ?Someone gave me his name and I asked him to come see us at a gig and see if he was interested in doing what we were doing. After about two sets he came up to me obviously moved by the performance and told me "You have know way of knowing this until you hear me but trust me I was born to play in your band." ?It turned out he was absolutely correct.? So, that is what I know. ?I hope it helps someone. I don't contribute around here much anymore so it may be awhile before I do it again.? Good luck with our own musical dreams. ? Brian ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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I would suggest you do all you can to find a teacher to study with in-person.
You should take a long-term view of learning music, years, not months and quick-fix courses. Online courses in some areas such as music theory are useful adjuncts to your studies, but learning to play an instrument through an online course is IMO, as appropriate as learning to play for example basketball through an online course. One of many reasons to study with a teacher in person and one of the most crucial aspects of learning to play an instrument is playing duets, tunes etc with an advanced player. This cannot be achieved with an online course, despite the promises of the expertly crafted marketing literature. It is precisely this reason that Classical music pedagogy which has been developed over centuries, emphasizes duets, and it applies to all other musics. There are many, many more reasons. -A ? -- Alisdair MacRae Birch Guitarist/Bassist/Educator/Arranger |
Chris Smart
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